The secret ingredient to perfect scones
Maybe it was hearing this story on NPR’s “Fresh Air” last week, but I’ve had “America’s Test Kitchen” on the brain and wanted to test drive one of their recipes.
This weekend, I decided to try a new current scone recipe and why not see WWATKD (What Would America’s Test Kitchen Do?)
Their cream scone with currants recipe proved to be ridiculously amazing and even better than the Epicurious recipe that has been my go-to scone recipe for the past year. Scone agnostics need to check this out.
The secret ingredient? Cream. I know. It’s not very British. But tasting is believing!
Cream Scones with Currants
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled
1/2 cup currants
1 cup heavy cream
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a food processor to combine, about 6 pulses. Scatter the butter evenly over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 12 pulses.
2. Add the currants and quickly pulse once to combine. Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
3. Turn the dough and any floury bits out onto a floured counter and knead until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Press the dough into a 9-inch pan. Unmold the dough and cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Posted on 7, August 2013, in Food and tagged America's Test Kitchen, baking, biscuit, British, cream, cream scone, current scone, food, jam, recipe, scone. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Awww, this looks so fabulous! Great bake you have there! =)
I remember my mum swearing by sour milk for scones. She’d make scones whenever the milk had got a little old, or she’d even make it sour by adding some lemon juice and leaving it to get lumpy. I’m not sure of the benefits, but the scones always tasted good!
This scones looks so much better (and I bet tastes better) than the scone I had last weekend!
Oops! I meant “scone” not “scones” 🙂
Ah, thanks Ally! They tasted even better than they looked! 🙂
I adore a good scone. I read something recently about the underlying difference (in recipe or technique) between a US scone and the taller UK version… and of course I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. Yours look delicious, though.
How funny, Pauline! I also read that and can’t remember where! I think the difference between a British scone and an American one had something to do with whether to use baking powder or baking soda (or other rising agent), but honestly I can’t find where I read that…